“You’re Doing It Wrong”
The Wrong Way
My generation – the next great generation – was raised to believe that whatever we set out mind to accomplish, we could achieve. We were raised to believe that we could fly to Mars, or that we could cure cancer. Furthermore, we were encouraged to find our own path while walking towards our dreams. We were always encouraged to blaze our own trails.
If anything, we were subconsciously raised to bristle at the statement “You’re doing it wrong”, or even worse “it can’t be done”.
To someone from Gen Y, the phrase “You’re doing it wrong” may be viewed as both criticism and an opportunity. To someone from this great generation, that statement takes on a life of its own.
We don’t so much see the world in black and white. To us, the world exists as varying shades of gray. The gray of possibility, the gray of hope, and the gray of a possibly arduous road ahead.
To us, “you’re doing it wrong” is a subtle challenge, instead a statement of defeat. Ultimately, we want to turn “wrong” into “another way”, or even “right” in some cases.
It’s a challenge to use our minds, to examine the situation, and to think critically.
When someone tells us “You’re doing it wrong”, we listen. We listen, we measure, and we sometimes decide that they’re right. We’ll contemplate and we’ll give genuine thought to what they say, even if it isn’t the path we end up choosing.
If you really want to get inside the mind of someone from this great generation – ask us to explain our decisions. More importantly, listen to our answers.
This generation is like water. We find cracks where cracks don’t appear to exist, and we create our own paths through life. For older generations, the question becomes one of willingness – are you willing to work with us and learn from us just as we learn from you? Do you even recognize that we want to learn from you?
We’re optimistic, we’re unique, we’re connected, we’re always on the go, and sometimes, we seem kind of impossible. But we are the future and we want to make sure we “do it right”.
Will you help us?
Photo Credit: limonada
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by Melissa Smich: RT @db: “You’re Doing It Wrong” is a sign for our generation (by @misskatiemo) http://bit.ly/7ir3RQ...
our competitive nature and desire to do something “different” is what makes us unique. older generations just wanted to make a decent living and be successful with jobs that already existed. that is just not enough for us; we create new jobs and start companies when no one will create the job we want. i think it is easy and difficult for us to forge our own paths. on the one hand, we really do have the capabilities and resources to do whatever we want. on the flip side, figuring out that “different” thing that no one else has ever done is not an easy task. great article.
Katie,
Great article! To me, the most poignant point was this:
“Do you even recognize that we want to learn from you?”
To extrapolate on that I’d say “Do you even recognize that YOU can learn from US?” as well. I think a lot of generations are quick to write off our new wave of thinking as something easy to dismiss because we’re all young and “don’t know any better”.
I feel older generations are jaded and reluctant to change. Our sense of urgency towards change might seem intimidating to those who inherently fear change so “you’re doing it wrong” is the simplest and most direct way to discredit what we say.
You’re definitely onto something here!
Go on with your bad self!
Desiree Kane
it’s not the only generation that hears “You’re Doing It Wrong”.
your absolutely right, we can all learn from each other. i think it’s part that some say “they don’t know any better” and part that “older” generations don’t think that the current generation cares to work together.
“You’re doing it wrong” is certainly a double-bladed statement to us millennials. You are absolutely right about it being taken as a challenge, the question is how do we respond to the challenge? Sometimes I will take the advice and try to do it the “right” way, but other times it will just drive me to work harder to show that my way works better!
I can see why this can be intimidating and aggravating to older generations who may have spent their entire lives believing they have done things the right way, only for us young bucks to come up and tell them there is another way.
matt: i imagine it is more aggravating but what’s great is that every generation has experienced that same aggravation and gen Y will when gen Z is in the workforce.
To piggyback on Max’s point, I think it’s more a lifestage phenomena than a generational phenomena. I think there is always some tension between the newbies to the workforce and those who have been in the industry longer. My parents and Gen X friends share similar stories to what many Gen Y’er are experiencing now. Hell, I think there is even intergenerational tension. I’m a part of Gen Y, but have been out of college 5 years and find tension between me and the interns I’ve worked with. I think part of it is on us, as Gen Y, to make sure our mentors and superiors know that we think they have great knowledge and experience they can learn from, because I can say from being on both sides of the coin that it is not always so clear. I think one thing we have to keep in mind is that in many ways we have to learn the rules before we can break them. Until we know why something is done the way it is, how can we propose a better solution?
Kelly–great point. Thanks for giving me more to ponder.
Katie,
I loved this article. It was short and sweet, but really does get across how I’m viewing things these days (and have for awhile). Thanks for being a voice of support, and the voice older generations might hear.
Wow! Let me take a moment to apologize for being a bit late on the comment responding uptake, and to thank you all for your time and thoughts!
In order…
Laura – I agree. I also think that some of us are more naturally inclined to want to “fix current things” rather than “create new things”. Vice versa as well, but overall I think our generation really wants to push boundaries and improve on the status quo.
Desiree – I think most people are somewhat hesitant to step back and learn from others, especially in a workplace setting. It takes someone who is secure to really embrace the opportunity. Perhaps us Millennial could help elder generations want to learn from us by showing them we want to learn from them, first?
Matt and Max – I enjoy the commentary between you two. Matt – I absolutely have felt the frustration you described before. It doesn’t seem to get easier as I get older.
Kelly – Good point. I find that, despite generational differences, I consistently get along with people who are open to honest discussions, and don’t discount people because of their age (whether it’s an older “dinosaur” or a young “greenhorn”).
Kate – You’re welcome. Thank you for your comment! My own parents have always been baffled by this phenomenon at times, so I thought it may be helpful to write for the readers of TNGG.